


Waking up on the Wrong Side of the Bed

by eafay70



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Developing Relationship, M/M, Sharing a Bed, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-07-28 07:57:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20060644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eafay70/pseuds/eafay70
Summary: Auston has spent way more time than he'd like to admit wondering what life would be like with his soulmate. Their first night sharing a bed turns out to be far different from Auston's expectations - but then again, Mitch Marner is far different from Auston's expectations in other ways, too.





	Waking up on the Wrong Side of the Bed

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jackpack](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackpack/gifts).

> I hope you enjoy this! :)

Everyone in the world was born with one or more sets of letters on the inside of their wrist: the initials of their soulmate(s). The initials appeared in the soulmate's favorite color; when the soulmates fell in love, a heart in that color would appear on the inside of their other wrist.

In other words, Auston grew up knowing two things about his soulmate: their initials were MM, and their favorite color was blue. On nights when pressure from hockey and other sources kept Auston awake, he would hold his hands palm-up and stare at the insides of his wrists, imagining what it would be like to have a blue heart on his currently bare skin. Would his soulmate distract him from hockey worries with stories about a more normal job or some random hobby? Or would his soulmate make him laugh by chirping all of the ref's terrible decisions in great detail? How would the two of them sleep: Auston in their arms, or them in Auston's arms? Auston had no real preference between the various options he imagined; all he really wanted was his soulmate in bed with him, easing his stress in their own special way.

Auston's wondering wasn't limited to life with his soulmate. He also daydreamed about the steps before that: meeting his soulmate and falling in love with them. Maybe they would meet at a fan event and sneak around on dates until deciding to go public, like in some cheesy Disney Channel movie. Or maybe they would meet eyes across a crowded bar, sneak off somewhere quieter, and flirt over the course of several dates before Auston explained who he was. Whatever the case, Auston was very excited for that first meeting and all the subsequent moments that would lead to the blue heart on his skin.

By the time Auston was drafted to the NHL, he'd developed a favorite set of fantasies (for want of a better word) regarding his soulmate. For one thing, Auston knew his soulmate would be a guy, which definitely meant the relationship would have to be kept a secret for some amount of time. On the less angsty side of things, Auston imagined his soulmate would be the type to nestle in his arms at night, making Auston feel like a strong protector. In Auston's mind, his soulmate wouldn't know anything about hockey until they met; when Auston came home to him after a bad game, he'd talk about some occupation Auston knew nothing about until they both fell asleep. And when morning came and Auston had to leave for practice, he'd kiss his soulmate goodbye twice: first on the wrist that bore the initials 'AM' in red, then on the wrist that bore a red heart.

Quite frankly, Auston couldn't wait. As fate would have it, once Auston got to Toronto, he didn't really have to wait.

* * *

It would be an exaggeration to say that Auston and Mitch became best friends when their first combined play at practice led to shattered glass, but it certainly got things off on the right foot. All the times they drove together around Mitch's beloved city led to the two of them getting to know each other very well, as did the many hours they spent playing Chel in each other's apartments and hotel rooms; Auston found himself talking about Mitch almost every time he called home, even when the hockey wasn't really worth discussing. So it wasn't really a surprise when Auston's soulmate imaginings started featuring Mitch...not that Auston knew what to do about it.

Fortunately, Mitch took the first step on an otherwise normal afternoon by leaning over the console and kissing Auston, who of course kissed back hard. When they pulled back to breathe, Mitch took off his standard-issue sweatbands to reveal his wrists: a red 'AM' on one, and a red heart on the other. 

"The heart came in last night," he said in a somewhat shaky voice. It was the most nervous Auston had ever heard him.

"I haven't looked in a while," Auston admitted. "I was scared it wouldn't be what I wanted." He gulped, then pulled off his own sweatbands and screwed his eyes shut, practically shoving his wrists at Mitch.

"Dude, you have to look," Mitch pointed out. "Otherwise you won't know if it's what you want."

Auston forced himself to open his eyes and look down.

"Well?" Mitch asked.

It took a few seconds for Auston to process what he was seeing: the familiar blue 'MM' and an unfamiliar blue heart. "Yeah, it's what I want."

* * *

In the weeks that followed, not much changed. Mitch still drove Auston around Toronto with a huge grin, they still played Chel at each other's apartments, and Auston still talked about Mitch when he called home. The main differences were the occassional kisses they shared and the quiet moments when they held hands. Auston was very happy, and he could tell Mitch was just as happy, but he couldn't help wondering when they'd do something more.

Once again, Mitch took the first step. This time, it was in their hotel room following yet another very bad road loss. Auston was sitting on his bed, not wanting to get under the covers and attempt to sleep, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Want to cuddle?" Mitch whispered.

"Okay," Auston replied. He allowed Mitch to lead him to the other bed, where they both got under the covers and shifted around to get comfortable. "Hold still, Mitchy."

"You hold still," Mitch retorted fondly as he wrapped his arms around Auston. "There we go."

Auston didn't understand how he'd wound up the little spoon, but he was too exhausted from the losing streak to argue. "Good night."

"Good night."

* * *

Auston woke up dangerously close to falling off the bed. He shifted back to safety, then frowned in confusion. Why was he on the left??

"Ow!" Mitch yelped. "Stop kicking!"

"Sorry." Auston turned his head to face Mitch. "I didn't realize I was doing it."

"Well, you were," Mitch huffed. "May as well get up."

It took some wrangling for them to get out of bed without poking each other's eyes out. "You want to shower first?" Auston offered.

"Only if you promise not to read the media." Mitch was unimpressed by Auston's indignant gasp. "Dude, you always read your press after bad games, and then you're miserable all day. Trust me - it's why I always tell more jokes on the way to practice on those days."

Auston blinked. "Um...yes, I promise."

"Good." Mitch gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back soon."

"Wait..." Auston grabbed Mitch's hand, then kissed his wrist right on the red 'AM' with all the passion he could muster. He repeated the gesture with Mitch's other wrist, right on the red heart. "I always wanted to do that."

"Cute," Mitch declared before trotting off to the bathroom.

Auston sighed, smiling softly to himself. It wasn't how he'd imagined a morning with his soulmate, but he didn't want it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
